About Me (In My Own Words)
I was born with pulmonary stenosis and a bicuspid aortic valve. I’ve lived my whole life with this, and was very active but then I started having chest pain and arrhythmia last June. I am having open heart surgery to replace my aortic valve with a tissue valve. I teach Jr High science and math and my surgery is scheduled for the first day of school! My school is preparing for a hybrid program where teachers will be in class and teaching online, and even though there will be masks worn and social distancing, there are still a lot of concerns while at the same time, I’m facing a big surgery. Lots of scary emotions. But I’m very thankful I’m getting this fixed. I was surprised how quickly my symptoms worsened in such a short period of time.
Week 7 of recovery: pleural effusion after surgery made a rough recovery: lots of coughing! A UTI put me in the hospital for 3 days over a week ago, and now the low-grade fever has returned with still more coughing. On an antibiotic and mucinex. Seeing the Dr again today. No fun.
More Info About Me & My Heart
More About Me
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I am from:
Fayetteville
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My surgery date is:
August 17, 2020
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I was diagnosed with:
Aortic Stenosis
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My surgery was:
Aortic Valve Replacement
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My surgeon is:
Dr. Dr Alberto Maldonado
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My hospital is:
Cape Fear Valley Medical Center